U.S. Says Arms Link Iranians to Iraqi Shiites  —  After weeks of internal debate, senior United States military officials on Sunday literally put on the table their first public evidence of the contentious assertion that Iran supplies Shiite extremist groups in Iraq with some of the most lethal weapons in the war.

Obama Plan Has a Critic in Australia  —  On his first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois, found himself responding to an unexpected critic: John Howard, Australia's prime minister.  —  Mr. Howard, a conservative leader who is a close ally of the White House …

For Clinton and Obama, Different Tests on Iraq  —  Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was challenged on Iraq from corner to corner of New Hampshire this weekend, while Senator Barack Obama drew cheers in Iowa for his opposition to the war.  —  Besides giving voters a chance to probe the views …

Libby Live: Woodward One  —  NOTES: (1) This is not a transcript — It's the blogger's approximation, and no one really knows what that is yet!  But I do know you shouldn't quote anything not in quotation marks.  (2) I'll timestamp the updates and will update about every 15 minutes, servers willing.

Cheney Testimony in Libby Trial Would Carry High Risk  —  One figure has dominated the trial of I. Lewis Libby Jr. without even showing up in the courtroom.  Day after day, the jury has heard accounts of the actions of Vice President Dick Cheney, watched as his handwritten notes were displayed …

Tentative Deal in N. Korea Nuclear Talks  —  BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. envoy to talks on North Korea's nuclear program said Tuesday that negotiators reached a tentative agreement on initial steps for the communist nation's disarmament.  —  Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill …

Dixie Chicks to country: nah-nah  —  It was more than a love of their music that was behind the Dixie Chicks' victory lap at the Grammy Awards Sunday.  —  The Texans won the three biggest awards - song, record and album of the year - for a disc in which they fought back against a country-music establishment …

Those Boring Campaign Blogs  —  When Amanda Marcotte agreed to blog for 2008 Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, she told her readers to expect "real commentary on issues that matter" under the "Rule of Amanda."  But she also acknowledged that she knows "how the game works" …

Libby Live: Novak One  —  NOTES: (1) This is not a transcript — It's the blogger's approximation, and no one really knows what that is yet!  But I do know you shouldn't quote anything not in quotation marks.  (2) I'll timestamp the updates and will update about every 15 minutes, servers willing.

Iraq war debate shifts to the House  —  GOP lawmakers will be in a tough position as Democrats push a resolution that dissents from Bush's strategy.  —  WASHINGTON — As the House this week launches its first major debate over the Iraq war since the November elections …

Stem cells used for 'natural' boob jobs  —  WOMEN may be able to undergo a "natural" form of breast enlargement using their own stem cells and fat.  —  The technique, pioneered in Japan, results in breasts that look and feel smoother than conventional cosmetic surgery using implants.

Taking on Guantánamo  —  Assigned to defend a Guantánamo detainee, jag lawyer Charles Swift joined up with legal scholar Neal Katyal and sued the president and secretary of defense over the new military-tribunal system.  With their 2006 Supreme Court victory overridden …

Why Are the Pacifists So Passive?  —  BEFORE the November elections, many Democratic candidates and legal academics insisted that the Iraq war was illegal and that only Congress, not the president, had the power to manage it under the Constitution.  Interestingly, now that Democrats control Capitol Hill …